Turkey: Vaccinated Russian tourists will be able to enter the country without tests - Cavusoglu

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Turkey will allow vaccinated Russian tourists to enter the country without a PCR test, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu who made the announcement during a press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Antalya on Wednesday.

"We do not want PCR tests from Russians tourists or other tourists who had two doses of vaccine. We accept whatever vaccine Russia uses for their people. Whether it's Sputnik or other vaccines. This issue also applies to other countries. Why do we want PCR test from non-vaccinated people? This is important for the safety of all of us, all Russian tourists and other tourists coming to our country, also important for our citizens working in the tourism sector, important for our shopkeepers, including the owner of the hotel. However, our process is very clear and I don't know where the wrong contradictory news comes from", - Cavusoglu said.

The Turkish Foreign Minister also noted that both countries continue working together on the production of "Sputnik-V" vaccine.

In his turn, the Russian minister commented on the relations between Moscow and Washington after the Biden-Putin summit in Geneva.

"Let's reset this whole unhealthy and unacceptable situation. '…' We are ready to discuss all these issues, but only mutually respectful and basing on a balance of each other's interests. We are ready to find such a balance. I hope that the Americans will also mature to this and will look for such a balance not only in the strategic stability's sphere, but also in all other spheres where we have problems, and there are many of them," said Lavrov.

The two countries are planning to hold a meeting on strategic stability in the near future, the Russian minister added.

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SOT, Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister (Russian): "We don’t take a position of being offended after all, but we clearly note the tendency that the Americans want to implement all the topics discussed in Geneva primarily through promoting their interests, but not through ensuring a balance of interests of the United States and the Russian Federation. We are planning delegations’ meeting in the coming days, before mid-July hopefully, which should consider the tasks set by the President in the strategic stability, arms control and arms limitation. Here we have a full understanding with American partners that we will start the conversation with each party presenting its vision of the new negotiations".

SOT, Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister (Russian): "Let's reset this whole unhealthy and unacceptable situation. Americans say: "Let's just do it later, but first give us 180 places. Places of detention, you know, just focused on two names - [Paul] Whelan and [Trevor] Reed. This is a litmus test. Give it to us." We are ready to discuss all these issues, but only with mutual respect and based on a balance of each other's interests. We are ready to find such a balance. I hope that the Americans will also mature to this and will look for such a balance not only in the strategic stability’s sphere, but also in all other spheres where we have problems, and there are many of them."

SOT, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish Foreign Minister (Turkish): "On the other hand, our cooperation in the fight against the pandemic has continued since the beginning. 400,000 doses of Sputnik-V vaccine came to Turkey, also our institutions are working together on the production of this vaccine."

SOT, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish Foreign Minister (Turkish): "We do not want PCR tests from Russians tourists or other tourists who had two doses of vaccine. We accept whatever vaccine Russia uses for their people. Whether it's Sputnik or other vaccines. This issue also applies to other countries. Why do we want PCR test from non-vaccinated people? This is important for the safety of all of us. All Russian tourists and other tourists coming to our country are also important for our citizens working in the tourism sector, important for our shopkeepers, including hotel owners. However, our process is very clear and I don't know where the wrong contradictory news comes from."

#Turkey #Russia #COVID19

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